Catholic News
- New state law in Washington will attack confessional seal (Washington Standard)
Stage legislators in Washington have passed, and Governor Bob Ferguson has signed into law, a bill that requires priests to report information about child abuse, even if it is given in a sacramental confession. The bill—which takes effect in July if it survives legal challenges—requires clergy to report suspected abuse to law enforcement, in a direct challenge to the integrity of the confessional seal. Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle quickly responded with an unambiguous public statement: Catholic clergy may not violate the seal of confession – or they will be excommunicated from the Church. All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential and protected by the law of the Church. The archbishop remarked that the legislation “is specifically targeting religious conduct by inserting the government into the Catholic tradition, namely, the highly defined ritual of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” His statement pointed toward the certainty of an appeal, challenging the new law as a violation of religious freedom. Governor Ferguson—who is a Catholic—swept aside such concerns, saying: “Protecting our kids, first, is the most important thing.” - All cardinal-electors now present in Rome (Vatican News)
As the College of Cardinals met on May 5 in its 10th general congregation since the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican press office reported that all 133 cardinal-electors were now present. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruno also reported that the Sistine Chapel has been prepared for the conclave that begins on May 7. Vatican security officials have swept the conclave for electronic listening devices and secured the area. At their Monday meeting, cardinals discussed a variety of issues related to the challenges facing the Church. The press office supplied only generic descriptions of the topics, without identifying the cardinals who addressed the assembly, but said that efforts were made to ensure that every cardinal had an opportunity to speak. - Cardinals discuss continuance of Pope Francis's initiatives (CWN)
On May 3, members of the College of Cardinals met in their ninth general congregation since Pope Francis’s death. 177 of the 252 members of the College of Cardinals—including 127 of the 133 cardinal electors—were in attendance, the Vatican newspaper reported. - Cardinal Mamberti presides at final Mass for Pope Francis (Vatican Press Office)
Cardinal Dominique Mamberti presided on May 5 at the final Mass of the Novendiali, the nine memorial Masses traditionally celebrated for a deceased Roman Pontiff. In his homily the French cardinal said that Pope Francis had “reminded the powerful that we must obey God rather than men, and proclaimed to all humanity the joy of the Gospel.” He said that the late Pope’s work was “grounded in the long moments of prayer that the Ignatian discipline had imprinted in him.” Cardinal Mamberti, as the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, will have the task of introducing the newly elected Pontiff to the world—unless, of course, he himself is elected. - Cardinal Gugerotti, at Mass for late Pontiff, preaches on creation, Eastern Catholic churches (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches from 2023 until the Pontiff’s death, celebrated the seventh of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Mass, celebrated in Latin (apart from the readings and prayers of the faithful), took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of May 2 (booklet, video). “All around us we do nothing but perceive the cry of creation and in it that of those who are destined for glory, and that is the purpose for which creation was desired: the human person,” the 69-year-old prelate preached. “The earth cries out, but above all a humanity overwhelmed by hatred cries out, in turn the fruit of a profound devaluation of the value of life which, as we have heard, for us Christians is participation in the family of God.” Cardinal Gugerotti then paid tribute to the Eastern Catholic churches, which “enrich the catholicity of the Church with the variety of their experiences, their cultures, but above all their very rich spirituality.” - Cardinal Fernández recalls Pope Francis's work ethic, teaching on work (Vatican Press Office (Italian))
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2023 until the Pontiff’s death, celebrated the sixth of the novendiali Masses for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. The Mass took place in St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of May 1 (booklet, video). During the Mass, celebrated almost entirely in Italian, the 62-year-old Argentine prelate recalled Pope Francis’s teaching on work, in which “work expresses and nourishes the dignity of the human being, allows him to develop his abilities, helps him to grow relationships, allows him to feel like a collaborator with God to take care of and improve this world, makes him feel useful to society and in solidarity with his loved ones.” Cardinal Fernández criticized a false concept of “meritocracy” that looks down on hardworking persons who are poor. He also recalled the late Pontiff’s work ethic: In Buenos Aires, in the summer, if you didn’t find a priest you certainly found him. When he was in Argentina he never went out to dinner, to the theater, for a walk or to see a movie, he never took a day off completely ... His daily work was his response to God’s love, it was the expression of his concern for the good of others. And for these reasons, work itself was his joy, his nourishment, his rest. - Jesus 'slaps me upside the head when I make a mistake,' Pope said in 2021 interview (Vatican News)
The Vatican has released the unedited text and video of a 2021 interview in which Noel Díaz, from the California-based El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización network, asked Pope Francis about Scripture passages on St. Peter the Apostle. “When Jesus anoints him bishop, priest, He anoints him because he is a shepherd,” Pope Francis said. “He doesn’t anoint him to promote him, in order for him to be the head of an office. He doesn’t anoint him to organize the country politically. No. He anoints him to be a pastor.” The Pope also said: To the Popes, too, if we ever stray from his plan of salvation, Jesus says, “That’s not my way, that’s Satan’s way.” Why? Because we are sinners and we can go astray. History shows us some popes who preferred a different path, but never, never made a mistake in the faith. That’s true: Never, even if they led a worldly life. But when [Peter] errs in the faith, He says: “No, that is of Satan! The path is the Cross.” That is, my confidence is in the word of Jesus who gives me firmness when He chooses me and who slaps me upside the head when I make a mistake. - Israeli president signs book of condolences to mourn Pope Francis's death (Jewish News Syndicate)
President Isaac Herzog visited the apostolic nunciature in Old Jaffa on May 2 to sign the book of condolences for the death of Pope Francis. He wrote: May his prayers for justice and peace be realized promptly in the immediate release of Israel’s hostages, who are being cruelly held in a glaring crime against humanity, ethics and God, Himself; in the eradication of hatred and extremism; and in a world of growing compassion, in the spirit of the Hebrew prophets and the shared spiritual legacy of humanity. Earlier, following the Pontiff’s death, President Herzog paid tribute to Pope Francis as a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion.” In contrast, the reaction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministry was more muted. - German bishops' leader promises to work for women's ordination (Katholisch)
Bishop Georg Bätzing, the president of the German episcopal conference, vowed to work for the ordination of women as “a matter of justice,” as he spoke on May 4 at Evangelical Church Day. Bishop Bätzing also assured members of the Evangelical Church that they would be welcomed to receive Communion in Catholic churches in Germany, despite Vatican resistance to that policy. - Catholic tourist slain by Islamist terrorists in India; bishop hails him as martyr (Fides)
Islamist terrorists killed 26 people and injured 20 more in an attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir. The attackers’ primary target was Hindu tourists, and any tourists who could recite the tenets of Islam were spared. One of the slain was Sushil Nathaniel, 57, who has shot in the head after he told the terrorists he was Catholic. His bishop—Bishop Thomas Kuttimackal of Indore—described him as a martyr and praised his “courage in not hiding his faith even under threat of arms.” - Cardinal Ranjith: victims of 2019 Easter bombing recognized as witnesses of faith (Fides)
Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, has announced that the 167 people killed in the Easter Sunday bombing of churches in Sri Lanka will be recognized by the Vatican among the “witnesses of the faith” in the 21st century. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has compiled the list of the witnesses of faith, which will be made public during the current Jubilee Year. The list includes all those who were killed because of “hatred of the faith.” - 'Popemobile' to become medical clinic for Gaza (Vatican News)
The “popemobile” used by Pope Francis is being remodeled for us as a mobile medical clinic, to be presented to Caritas Jerusalem for use in Gaza. Pope Francis, before his death, had expressed the wish to send the vehicle to Gaza, particularly to offer medical help for children. - Vatican newspaper decries world's difference to hunger in Gaza (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
A front-page article in the Vatican newspaper’s May 3 edition decried “the hunger of Gaza and the indifference of the world.” “Two months have now passed since March 2, when the Israeli armed forces closed all entrances to humanitarian aid in Gaza,” reporter Roberto Cetera wrote. “Two months without food, drinking water, medicines, and any other basic necessities.” He added, “It is not permissible to use food and water as a weapon of war. It is not possible to use food deprivation to push a people to deportation.” After reporting on the recent drone attack on a Gaza humanitarian aid ship in international waters, Cetera concluded: We are faced with a determined and conscious intention. 2.4 million Gazans are hungry and in desperation. Desperate in the absence of any reaction of disapproval and protest from that world which hypocritically calls itself civilized. - Vatican publishes list of delegations from other religions at papal funeral (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Vatican newspaper has published a list of members of delegations from Judaism and other non-Christian religions at the recent papal funeral. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, was at the top of the list of Jewish representatives; Prince Aga Khan V was at the top of the list of Muslim representatives. - Archbishop Cordeleone on how to end the liturgy wars (First Things)
“With all of the issues facing the Church at this time, none is more important than how we worship,” writes Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone for First Things. Looking forward to the conclave, the archbishop says that “now is an opportune time to revive Pope Benedict XVI’s vision” for ending the “liturgy wars” and the confusion that resulted. Among other things, he reasons: Calls from every post-conciliar pope, from Paul VI to Francis, to correct liturgical abuses and sloppiness have had practically no effect in the lived experience of Catholics in the pews. Something more needs to be done. A comfortable familiarity with the Traditional Latin Mass has great potential for serving this purpose. - Vatican spokesman: Pope Francis was a prophet whose message on war went unheeded (Vatican News)
Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication, described Pope Francis as a prophet whose “message against the mad arms race, which takes away resources to be used for the good of peoples and invests them in instruments of death and destruction,” went unheeded. “The 12 years of his pontificate are full of interventions from which emerges a clear rejection of war and the arms race,” Tornielli continued, adding: In a world that seems resigned to the logic of everyone against everyone, and that sees the capital used to fill arsenals already full of weapons capable of destroying all of humanity repeatedly rise, the Successor of Peter continued to invoke peace, negotiation ... Pope Francis’ teaching on atomic rearmament is also strong and more relevant than ever. - UK court orders Vatican to pay legal fees for 'trial of the century' defendant (Pillar)
The High Court of England and Wales has ordered the Vatican to pay millions of dollars in legal fees to Raffaele Mincione, a financier who was convicted by a Vatican tribunal in the “trial of the century” last year. Mincione, who has appealed the Vatican verdict, brought a separate suit in a London court, seeking a finding that he had acted in good faith in his dealings with the Vatican involving a London real-estate property. The UK court, in a February verdict, found Mincione innocent of fraud, although the ruling also said that he “made no effort to protect [the Vatican] from fraudulent bad actors.” The court has now ordered the Vatican Secretariat of State to pay half of the legal costs of the suit, beginning with a $2 million payment. The ruling will inevitably revive questions about how the Secretariat of State handled the investment, and how the Vatican judiciary handled the case against Mincione and other defendants. - Cardinals discuss evangelization at Friday session (Vatican News)
At their 8th general congregation on May 2, the College of Cardinals discussed a variety of issues, including evangelization and the challenges of pastoral work in secularized societies. The Vatican press office reports that 180 cardinals attended the Friday session, including 120 cardinal-electors. Another 13 electors are expected to arrive before the conclave opens on May 7. The general congregations are closed-door sessions, and the Vatican press office provides only a broad description of the topics raised by the cardinals who speak. (The speakers are not identified in statements for the media.) Since the cardinals are bound to respect the confidentiality of the discussions, any detailed reports are based on leaks, and cannot be considered reliable. - Vatican spokesman denies health scare for Cardinal Parolin (Vatican News)
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni has denied a widespread report that the Wednesday meeting of the College of Cardinals was interrupted when Cardinal Pietro Parolin suffered a medical emergency. According to the report, Cardinal Parolin fainted—supposedly because of a loss of blood pressure—and medical personnel were called in to revive him. “It is not true,” Bruni said flatly. Asked whether health-care personnel had been summoned, he replied: “No; absolutely not.” The quick spread of the report, and the strong denial from the Vatican press office, highlight the fact that as the cardinals speak in secrecy, all news reports must be questioned. - Annual Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
The Pontifical Swiss Guard has announced that its swearing-in ceremony, which takes place annually on May 6, has been postponed until the fall. The ceremony takes place on May 6 in memory of the guards’ heroism during the Sack of Rome on May 6, 1527. The Vatican newspaper recalled that “189 Swiss Guards defended [Pope] Clement VII: they managed to bring him to safety in Castel Sant’Angelo, but only 42 survived the massacre.” - More...